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Elections are coming up on May 6, and voters will get another chance to shape the face of their local government.
What happens at the polls could drastically change what the Twin Counties look like over the next four years.
For some, local elections aren’t as important as the congressional or presidential elections. Some only pay attention to the state or national races, believing that they are the only ones that matter.

Kroger supporters and their grassroots movement might not have prevented their beloved Galax store from closing last month, but it has come to The Gazette’s attention that they did play an integral role in attracting new business to the city.
On April 3, family-owned grocery chain Grants Supermarket announced that it would open a new store in the old Kroger building this summer. In a statement to the newspaper, the owners mentioned that the “Save Kroger” group had caught their attention while they were searching for new spots to expand.

Despite not getting the results they were hoping for, the hundreds of supporters of keeping the Kroger store in Galax have shown a tremendous amount of organization and effort in the past several weeks.
When it was first announced that the store would close March 21, these folks didn’t take the news lightly. Instead, everyone got together and did whatever they could think of to convince the corporation to change its mind.

Carroll supervisors have a plan to help property owners turn their hard-to-reach or inaccessible land into cash.
These ideas, called “Class C subdivisions” and “flag lots” that have entry through driveways known as “flag poles” are proposed modifications to the county’s subdivision ordinance.
Class C subdivisions as proposed would be limited to five lots off a narrow, dead-end road.

It’s easier and more convenient for dog owners to just open the door and let their pet outside for a bathroom break or a run around the neighborhood. After all, what harm could five minutes do?
This is a thought that these owners eventually regret when they hear that sickening squeal of tires on the blacktop near their house.
Or, when they open the door to call them back, just to find an empty yard.
Or, when their local animal control officer notifies them that their dog has killed the neighbor’s poodle.

Last week, Grayson County supervisors put a temporary stop to the controversial zoning repeal that has split the county into two sides over the past month.
The supervisors, the newspaper and social media have heard arguments from all sides during this divisive debate.
Some believe that zoning restricts their personal freedom to do what they want with their property. Others like zoning for that exact reason, because they don’t want to wind up with a brewery or a Hooters erected next to their church or family farm.